Offering a foreigner's view on Korean TV and movies

Drama Review – Individualist Miss Ji Young (KBS, 2017)

I have no idea why I keep saying to myself “Puppy!” when Gong Myung appeared on my screen throughout Show, because he is seriously cute like a puppy. Watching both episodes back to back is akin to watching a movie, so I’d really suggest that you take 2 hours of your time to watch this in its entirety.

Min Hyo Rin is cast as the titular Miss Ji Young, who grew up bitter watching her parents quarrel with each other on a regular basis, while Gong Myung plays Baek Soo, who was adopted into a family but was never truly accepted. While Ji Young keeps everyone at an arm’s length and claims she’s mostly fine being by herself, Baek Soo craves human interactions and pretends he doesn’t know most people are making use of him to get free meals (or allowance, in the case of his sister).

Ji Young and Baek Soo are next-door neighbors and the latter always greets Ji Young cheerily but she never fails to snub him. An unexpected event of Ji Young running into Baek Soo’s room to hide from her ex-boyfriend (she forgot the 10-digit passcode to her room lol) begins their unikely love story. Due to Ji Young’s prickly personality, it took Baek Soo quite awhile to worm his way into her heart.

Although she doesn’t show it, Ji Young is interested in Baek Soo as well and it is undeniable that his cheery personality changed her. What follows is one of the sweetest courtship in KDrama history, before Baek Soo accidentally finds out about Ji Young’s condition and attempts to recouncile her and her estranged mother. Ji Young is undoubtedly angry and feels betrayed that Baek Soo “snooped” around.

They eventually broke up but Ji Young admits to her psychiatrist that she felt loved and happy for the first time after Baek Soo entered her life. And true to the adage “time heals everything”, a year or so later a chance encounter reunites our OTP and it’s happily ever after. I love how the “ever after” is shown as a photo montage that followed Ji Young’s unhappy growing up photo slideshow, which is a nice contrast of her life, before and after.

Show is a sweet little work of how two polar opposites helped each other become a better person. Neither are caricatures but relatable characters with realistic fears and emotional baggage. The casting is spot on; Min Hyo Rin is underrated and I find her extremely talented in quirky roles, while Gong Myung…is just such a sweet puppy and I can’t imagine another actor in the role (maybe Park Bo Gum, but the chemistry would be slightly off). Definitely a good 2 hours spent watching this!